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Fisker Automotive has been dealt another PR blow, as a wily lawyer has used a lemon suit to force the business to buy a Karma sedan back from a customer. Lemon laws are among the many consumer protection laws, which force car makers to buy a vehicle back if they've made a dud. Figure out how to purchase brand new car that does not have lemon law problems.

When life hands Fisker lemon laws

If you add beer to lemonade, you can get a shandy on top of the lemonade you made with your lemons.

A “lemon” car is one that is not working properly though, typically because the manufacturer did something wrong while selling it. It is not legal to sell a vehicle that does not really work to a consumer. This is where “lemon laws” come in play in most states requiring car manufacturers to purchase the car back.

For The Very Best Deal On A Pre-Owned Or New Car, Van, Truck or SUV Take a look at Austin Howdy HondaImmediately!

Fisker Automotive, the beleaguered company behind the super-stylish and moreover pricey Karma plug-in hybrid sedan, has just been hit with its first lemon suit, according to AutoBlog, buying a constantly broken Karma back from the owner.

Fixed too often

Create sure you look up your state laws for lemon laws because it changes dependent upon the state. To be able to get the automaker to actually purchase the automobile back, you may have to hire a lawyer and sue. Occasionally, it takes a lot of proof before they will do anything.

AutoBlog reports that the Fisker Karma in question was in the shop for a total of 120 days for seven different services on the car. The male in Wisconsin only owned the car since Dec. and has had to deal with a ton of difficulties in the seven months he owned the car, according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.

The Fisker Karma is a very expensive car, which you will find out on any auto loan calculator. That is why it makes sense that the man would want to get it bought back under lemon laws. Wisconsin’s law states that a vehicle has to be with an owner for over 30 days before lemon laws can be brought up. The man employed the most prominent lemon law lawyer in the nation, Vince Megna.

Flame issue

Fisker will be paying $103,550 to buy back the car.

Megna filmed a video at the car dealership where he asked if the Karma was even secure to drive since it is known for bursting into flames at several places.

Nissan agreed to buy two Nissan Motors Leaf electric vehicles back from owners recently since the batteries are dying in excessive heat. That means that Karma is not the only electric car dealing with a lemon right now, according to KPHO Phoenix.

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A couple weeks ago the g/f and I took a vacation to Mexico. For the first time since the Cougar's resurrection, the car sat for two weeks. I've been driving it nearly every day, and never a check engine light in almost 25,000 miles. My g/f drove the Cougar to work, and guess what. CEL comes on.

I check the codes, one for IMRC stuck open, another for failing DPFE (P0401). The code for the stuck IMRC happened a few times immediately after the engine swap. It turned out the IMRC cable bracket was slightly bent. A little "encouragement" and no problems since. I have no idea why the code appeared now 2 years later... but after clearing it, it hasn't come back.

I thought maybe these hiccups were just from sitting, and my g/f's inability to drive the car as it's meant to be driven (like it's stolen!!!). She's also used to driving our 2012 Jetta TDI 6 speed, which is very different. I cleared the codes which remained gone for a few days.... then P0401 came back. The DPFE is an original part, with 99,xxx miles on it now. I'm guessing it just needs a new sensor.

This 3L hybrid (which I built from leftover junk parts) and rod shift Quaife (built by TH) drivetrain have nearly 30,000 miles now. Less than 5,000 in the '97 Contour, and now 25,000 in the '02 Cougar. And this is the first real issue. I'm quite pleased :)

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Since the Contour is back up and running reliably it's time to get back to bigger and better things.

I revised the way I'm going to do this (yet again) and will not be using a modular but instead dedicated fixture jig for the car (more expedient). The chassis will be supported at four points on levelling jacks. Once I have the roll cage in the chassis will be more than stiff enough so I can cut up the floor, etc... and then roll in the powertrain sub-assembly on a different jig/cart that can be secured to the vehicle after alignment.

Anyway, I started making and installing the levelling jack points. These are bent 16 ga steel with two 12 x 1.75 metric nuts welded to the back side. The jack points attach to the frame/body structure and can still be used when the car is finished should the powertrain need to be removed.

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Couple weeks ago we went down to the Inner Harbor to see the cars. She's the ultimate charmer... guys want her to sit in their Ferarris. This year there were no Dino 246, but if I were a rich guy, I'd buy a Mondial before I bought a Dino 246.

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Well not exactly the race I had hoped for, but not all bad either. It started at Hastings Motorsports Park (MPH) on Wednesday. I unloaded the car, took a warm up lap then on my first full RPM up shift to 3rd the clutch went to the floor. Once I got back into the pits I discovered the fitting which holds the fluid line to the slave cylinder (I'm sure it has a name) was not conected to the slave cylinder. I slid it back on and it seemed to click and be tight. I was not pleased with my mechanic but thought no harm. So I quickly filled the master cylinder and went back out on track. I gave it one more lap to make sure all was well then it happened again, same spot same gear. No clutch! I was glad I hadn't called my mechanic to tell him he was fired because it was obviously not his fault. I pulled the spring clip off and bent around a bit to make it fit tighter and I was convinced it would not pop off again. by this point I had lost a lot of brake fluid so I cleaned everything with brake cleaner, filled the master cylinder again and decided to hit the track again. I was very careful and took a couple of laps to get up to speed and everything seemed to be working fine. Then I started to notice the clutch slipping and I wasn't smelling clutch and it only happened at high rpms. Into the pits again! I looked everything over and I noticed it was still dripping brake fluid and it was coming out of the bottom of the bell housing. I was sure this was not a good sign. Apparently some of the brake fluid had found it's way down into the clutch. I sprayed some brake clean into the bellhousing with the car running and working the clutch. After it all cooled and dried I went back on track. It seemed to ok for a couple of laps but when I began torun harder the clutch was definitely slipping.

So to make a long story short we tried to clean it again but it didn't get better.I came very close to loading the Contour and driving home to get the Trans am but decided I didn't want to drive 15 hours. So I did not run the one mile shootout and dropped down from the 115 class to the 100 class for the road race. I decided why not, it needs a clutch any way so I ran it. The car sucessfully ran the 100mph class with a badly slipping clutch. I didn't get very close to my time, ended up 3 seconds off my target time. These races have gotten so competitive that unless you are under one second you have no chance, I finished 10th. A navigator would have helped, even driving the slower class it's tough to drive and run your stop watch because the road is very technical.

It was a great weekend, I got to drive some very fast cars (friends with money), only two cars left the road and no body got hurt, the car sounds great and ran great (except for the above) and that is racing!!

Now it is time for a new clutch, a few minor additions per the Bonneville rule book, four new skinny tires and off to the salt.

Well I finally decided to move on to the 3L Intake conversion. I have a few reasons why. For one, I wanted a little more low-mid range torque to it. Then, I also wanted to have a Cold Air intake installed because the heat soak from the HAI was getting on my nerves. I didn't want to go through another summer with heat soaking issues. This will allow me to use a CAI from a 3L (Mazda 6). Along with the install, Dom is going to install the rear sway bar, and have some extra things to improve the driving experience of the car. I'm looking forward to it.

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Well, repairing my contour has been quite the experience. Just wanted to check the shift cable bushing but in came a nice domino effect of wtf moments. Refer to my thread in the Under The Hood section of the forum for the basic back story. http://www.fordcontour.org/index.php?showtopic=12928

The weather in South Jersey has been nothing but wet for the past 2 months now. Whether it be snow or rain, the ground here just has not had time to dry. Which is where my dilemma comes in. I am eager, extremely eager, to get this problem situated but I have a dirt drive way. For those of you who have never tried before, jacking up a car on saturated ground is a test in patience and more-so in bravery; blocked or not. Now, I just could not get a hold on the jack that I was confident enough to even throw the stand under to get a good look at this damn bushing. Let alone snake myself under the car to take a peak. However, there is a small concrete slab in the backyard where a dog kennel used to be. So, I say to myself, problem solved. The weather lately has been clearing up, but the ground itself (and my basement I might add) is still super saturated, but this small slab may be my savior. Or so I thought anyway.

I get the car out there just fine, but decide that I'm not gonna leave anything to chance and opted to try and use my steel ramps as opposed to a jack and stands. I get the ramps and the car lined up, reverse that car up just a tad to get the neccessary running room to get up the ramps. Put it in first, pop the clutch, hit the gas, and the tires just spin. This is starting to look like a scene from a bad comedy. First the simple issue of inspecting a bushing. That gets postponed and I decide to change my valve cover gasket instead. Only to find that 3 of the bolts were completely sheared. Which of course I had to extract and replace. Then, just when I think I'm catching a break. My car is now stuck in the mud. At this point I think to myself what all self respecting men may think at a time like this. "shiz, I can get her outta there. Just gotta rock her, she aint that deep..." So, I proceed to rock it....

...3 hours later my brother comes back from borrowing my Escape for the day. I, covered in mud at this point, go right for the back hatch, grab my chains, find a good point under the front of the Contour to put the chain, and pull the car out of the nice rut it found itself stuck in. I had to do this, not because I couldn't get it out, but because the car died on me in the middle of it all. Seems like the alternator. I jump it and it starts and run fine, but eventually dies and won't start. Alternator really isn't that old. Nor is the maxi-fuse, but I hope that it's as simple as something like that. Although, granted, replacing the alternator in these Zetech's really isn't that easy of a job. I just hope it's not a major electrical issue, because I hate messing with electronics, I really do. But, first I obviously gotta find a way to pressure wash all that nice caked up mud thats spot welded to the underside of the car right now. I also gotta see if I can't rent some time in one of my buddy's garages with a case of beer or something. Because working on a car in a dirt drive way is getting old fast.

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I ran into a spot where I needed to design and build up the front cabin shell. The dash and wipers interfere, plus I need to define where the rad hoses go. I'm out of resin and hardener, and since there's no income, I've decided to make busy on getting new work before incurring hobby costs. There's some other areas I will tinker on in the meantime.

July 28.

The heater box is history (glad too, I was tired of working on it and wanted something/anything else to do).

I've started on the radiator frame. Months ago I made friends with a MoPar crazy racer. He's a secretive guy... has many cars in his back-woods garage complex. Anyway, he sold me a Griffin that he'd had ordered, but didn't quite work out for him. It's large by Contour standards, 4 rows deep, 31 by 19. I had some 14 gage 2x4 box steel that I ripped one side off to form "C" channel, and made a nest for the aluminum rad to sit in. I want to come up with some rubber bumper solution both for mechanical and electrical isolation, but for now I've just dimensioned the framework for it, and it's a loose fit in the three sided thing that I'll weld onto the front end at an angle leaning forward. My fill will be back at the engine, and I may just weld the cap on up front. Tube routing is the new chore. First thought is to route it up the passenger side rocker panel area, actually inside the body (have to know how the typical fiberglass body is constructed to realize why). So there will be flex tubing from each end of the rigid long pipe tween front and back, and whatev that end connects to. Heater hoses may also get routed the same since I have so much to put down the center hump. I figure that weight on that side of the car suits better also. Lotus and others just use steel pipe. Donno what I can find yet, but aluminum is my first pick (engine and rad are). My peers at the Kelmark forum have made different hood openings. I would like to preserve the shape/flow of the existing hood, so I'm favoring a pair of grill openings near the windshield rather than a scooped out (GT40ish) hollow in the center of the hood. No cutting yet.

June 7.

I sure have hesitated making changes to the heater assembly for the throttle pedal spacing.... cept now. Sunday morning after much planning, I took a coping saw to the plastic housing and freed up almost an inch more room to the right of the pedal. The most offensive issue was the various molded clasps and alignment pins along the seam of the two sections.... my foot was bound to get hung up on them at the worst moment. Now I'll have a smooth face for the side of my foot. I haven't decided whether I'll flatten and glue the part I cut off, or mold a piece of fiberglass. In any event, I have to make a difusser for the feet heat outlet otherwise I think it will blast too hot on the ankle. I'm not using the factory part that restrics and directs feet heat.... it makes the outlet too close to the center hump. Instead, I'll make that part.

I think the throttle pedal can stay where I placed it for toe-heel considerations. I may still trim a bit of width off the brake peddle pad on the throttle side. Toe-heel is a missnomer actually. I twist my foot and use the side of my foot on the throttle, and the ball of my foot for the brake. I'll start tonight on a replacement panel for the side of the box I cut away.

May 27,

Kit car show done for the year... I really look forward to it, and the brother's visit. Now back to work.

I still haven't placed the throttle pedal. The Contour heater/AC box sticks into the driver footwell more than I like, forcing the pedal spacing to be crowded. I'm not compromizing.... so the fix will be some degree of fab to the "comfort" equipment. I only need about an inch and a half with a smooth side to the enclosure for the throttle foot to slide against. Right now it has bulges and latches that catch the foot.... for sure dancing between brake and throttle is going to get hung up and ugly. The heater core is the worse offender. I'm looking for fab shops to either build a copper/brass core in my smaller size, or can work with aluminum. I may also need to shrink the AC core.... that's a more complicated matter. As for the housing, I'm not too concerned because I can make whatever I need from fiberglass, and that might end up being the path I take.... shuffle the cores and passageways around towards the passenger side, and not cut or rebiuld either core.

March 16,

Sheez, a month and little construction. Hottie got a lot of attention though. Also had some music hobby stuff.

The "Bluebaru", my beater 93 Impreza, needed its annual safety inspection. They failed me for rotors worn over tolerance and a side light out. Got parts and was quick to make the turn-around but got "bolt-blocked. I busted a pretty big caliper bracket mount bolt. I'd put a halfshaft on this side, and replaced the caliper for a stuck piston on the other side in December (remember how nice it was?). Right after replacing the caliper, I had the garage up the street flush and replace the brake fluid (they have a fine vacuum system to do whole-system flushes. If you get a stuck rusted piston, you need to realize there was moisture in the fluid. Well, since I knew I had a potential for this side's caliper to be rusted, and the bracket had a mean broke-off bolt sticking out of it, I decided to replace the caliper and bracket together, plus a bolt trip to Subaru. Made the swap with no big, and when ready to add fluid I realized this year had DOT 4. All I had in my shop was DOT 3. I put that "buy" on temporary hold till next time out. Meanwhile I looked through the Advance Auto flyer that arrived and found brake fluid on sale... but I was surprized that it is labled not only DOT 3/4, but also synthetic. I need to look into this shocker.

This weekend is a KIX/Face Dancer reunion show that Hottie just has to attend so a good part of Saturday's productivity is shot, along with Sunday (sleep-overs... both good and bad for the sex / mechanic addiction). I'll still have a few hours for the project and swear to the blog I'll make progress.

Feb 17.

I've put a bunch of parts back together, including tacking the pedal cluster back in place (they hang) to decide just exactly I'll mount the throttle (it's floor mounted). All three pedals are closer than I'd like... blame the heater core. I will grind Wilwood's brake pad at an angle and take some meat off the throttle side so I can wear everyday shoes since the intent is to make this a 3 season commuter. BUT, in the meantime, I bought a 2010 Impreza that gets delivered today! I swear, this is the LAST new car I'll buy... punch me if I ever do it again.

I'm making new shoes for a buddy's snow blower... just plate and angled pads that set the auger's height. The originals no longer have any pad, and the slotted plate on one side has worn an inch away (he says that's 10 years use). It's fun to weld.... weld and get beer for it, that is:). So get him back in biz, toy a bit with my new "carefree" commuter car, then get back to work on the project. Next goal is all the pedal and throttle parts functional.

Feb 8.

I suppose everyone got things done during the big storm. I cut my notch out and tacked the patch in. I added a picture to the gallery. Then I looked hard at the throttle cable and system. Mounts are easy enough to fab up, but scoping out the differences between stock and SVT linkage to the throttle body sorta sinks the hope of being able to use either. I still need to detail how the arms are connected to their respective shafts to see if there's a common place to adapt one arm on either so I don't have to buy a second cable. I'll do that through the week. My new cable company is California Push-Pull Inc. The arguement keeps returning to just use the SVT motor, but it's pretty important to me to stick with the OBD-I management for titling purposes. I don't have a post-cat bung for one thing, and I'm using headers in place of the stock, cat-equiped exhaust manifolds. Being through several tests (in PA you're tested every year), I believe I can pass, and be eco-responcible with the OBD-I system. Plus, my old 95 motor ran really sweet so I don't have to invest in the re-build before driving it.... oh, I'll eventually build a motor, but I want to drive as soon as I can.

Jan 25.

Time flies. I have the relocated sway mounts done, on the car, and have started pulling lots of stuff off in prep for the notch job. The Energy Suspension ball joint boots worked out very nicely. The speed shop's new hours made it take a couple more days to drop by, but the product is stronger than rubber in terms of tear, an it's red :) .All I have to do is get up the nerve to cut good steel!!! I try and think about these a bit before making the cut. I'm ready. Maybe tonight or tomorrow I'll use the plasma, angle grinder, recip saw, and neatly take a wedge out so I can turn it around to weld back in. After that, I'll go back to detail specifying the throttle cable. The new supplier uses a different method to describe his, and with customs, I don't want to send it back for my bone up.

I did get the new old Subie. It's tired from age (215K miles) but solid for rebuilding. I titled it so I have ownership, but didn't tag it. My insurance company feels I have too many vehicles already. It's backed up against the show biz truck so It's not obvious that it isn't tagged. A nieghbor could complain and I'd have to get it off the property if it doesn't have a currnt plate on it... Borough buracracy.... I'd have a whole junk yard if I could.

I'm also in a sort of race now with a co-worker building an RV 8 airplane. Diff is, he's got a complete parts list and step by step instructions... but I'll just pull over if mine poops out.... he has a much larger pucker factor on his build. He turned me onto a better braided hose supplier, I turned him on to the aluminum supplier in Dillsburg, PA. We swap some tools, and a lot of smack talk.

Jan 14. I discovered I'd ripped the boot on my hot rod style ball joint and looked for a replacement, short of buying another ball joint. It's a Moog/Chrysler style where the boot is seperate. No hot rod buddies had a spare, but shopping Summit and Mid Western, I was lead towards Energy Suspension. Sure I knew they had bushings, but it hadn't dawned on me to look there for the cover... well, they have some, but they don't associate them by ball joint. They just offer dimensions. I found one that fits, and it's a one day order from the speed shop. That's solved. Back to my cable saga. On the last day I was willing to wait on bad promises, I got a commitment to ship and a tracking number. When the part came... it was wrong. So now I enter into what I think is going to be another hassle, but the guy accepts my decision to return for a credit card refund. The next day, the original company owner who has just returned to head the company called with a very genuine remorse for my situation. Wow, how often does that happen? He pretty much offered me a blank check in terms of however I wanted to mend our relationship. I'd already approached and commited to a new supplier, so I had to turn Madison down on his offer, but I think with the old chief back in charge, I might still consider them in the future. The Hottie G/F wants me visit Saturday, so since I was hands off because of my sniffles last weekend, I think I'll take her up on the invite. Early Saturday I'm getting another Subie FWD 5 speed wagen that will become a future fabbed race car. Sunday home from Hotties', I'll start on the steering column notch job and put all the finished parts back on.

Jan 10. I finished up the sway bar job. Not feelin my best, gotta head cold with nose running when my sinus isn't stopped shut. I'll take it easy the rest of the afternoon.

Jan 9. Girlfriend's old 90 Subie passed emissions testing... I was all set to defend the repairs and argue that the reason the first test's emissions were so low (they claimed "unreadable" and suggested she'd had someone tamper with the system) was because I'd taken care to do the job well. I had the bad parts in my pocket ready to explain each's function and well... the tester this time acknowledged it should have been passed the first time. No redemption for my challanged repairs, but the G/F was grateful enough <smile>

Now I'm waiting for the shop to warm up and the dryer plug to become available for "man work". Should be able to reach today's goals.

Jan 8. Yesteday I cleaned up the first tab, made a second, and cleaned up the first control arm in prep to weld the new tab on tonight. I'll also pull the other control arm off, cut the existing tab off, grind down what's left, and put its sway linkage mounting tab on. It was chilly in the garage last night and I have some throat pain so I didn't push myself last night. Cold predicted in PA through the weekend. I'll jack the thermostat when I have a day-long worth of work perhaps Sunday. I'd swore off G/F interferrence, but seriously... you think I can resist? I'll be down to her place Saturday to do the talkin at the emmisions test dept. They dissed her results her first trip because the reading was so low (patting myself on the back for that), and when they challanged her on battery resetting, she didn't know how to respond because I had worked on it to clear her codes. She had an open knock sensor and a burned coil in the cannister vent valve (Subbie Legacy). I hope missing time working on my car is well paid for the help I gave her (she's hot). Notching for steering clearance gets postponed till about Sunday. There's a heap of stuff I have to take off/apart to make those cuts.

Jan 7. I picked up 1/4 by 4 flat bar yesterday, carefully torched off the original, and fabbed a new tang last evening. I still need to grind off the remnants of the original (didn't want to get too close to the tube parts with the plasma), then weld my new piece on. I found subtle differences in the ends of the sway bar I got salvage, like a half inch. I swapped it over and the unique dimensions of my front end balanced the sway bar better than it was before. Honestly, I don't know which way the sway bar had been mounted in the Fiero donor, and still need to drive it to find out how suited this bar is.

I got schooled in sump pumps by SVTNUT last night. I knew there was a strong chance my "conveinient" mounting location was poor, he confirmed it for me so the sump project gets put on a low flame for now. The cradle may limit my mounting options too much.

I'm not evil, but I'm naming names today for the benefit of others... that custom cable house I had been so pleased with in the past is Madison Power Systems. The third ship date promise in 8 weeks is past (Monday with no confirmation and no delivery yet), so I'm suggesting to others that they are no longer a great place to get your stuff... shame too because the product was first rate. I struck up contact with another outfit yesterday.

(update... I have a tracking number today from Madison)

Tonight is finish sway biz, and start the steering column frame clearance notch. I could also spec the front brake hose and plumb those lines now that the pedal cluster is defined.

The reason for blogging is self motivation.... not even hottie girlfriend is going to undermine my timetable.... I'm too old now, heck, I wanna drive it.

Jan 3. I've made my completion deadline my 40th high school reunion in 2011. That leaves me a year, and then 4 or 5 months rework as needed to make a 500 mile trip, and still be functional enough to show off. There's too much to do I think, but the deadline really helps me manage my time.

Something I'm rolling over in my head is the use of all the intake parts and injectors from an SVT motor I have, with my OBD1 wiring and management and the 95 engine. With those goods, I believe the proportions (A/F mixture) won't be horribly wrong. The mental budget already includes addressing management on a serious scale, but not to make the first runs. Things I want from personal brew management are wicked throttle repsonce with fuel cutoff on closed throttle plate (love blipping), my own limits on speeds, and octane selection settings from the cabin. If I have the time to research, I'll be looking for A/F graphs on the two stock motors.

My custom control cable guy is getting tossed off my buddy list. He used to turn around orders in a week... it's been 7 weeks and 2.5 missed shipment dates for the long throttle cable I need to go to the back of the car. Also developing the cable termination for possible use with either non and SVT systems... I need the cable to fine tune the pedal cluster too.

So, while I wait, I have rework on the special front end I'm using. The sway bar mount on the driver's side causes its linkage to foul on the outer tie rod joint. I've pulled that control arm off so tomorrow I'll get some 1/4 plate to re-fab the flange and relocate it 3/4 aft. It wasn't symetric from my builder's jig, so I have an idea he just eye-balls that part's location and welds. Actually both sides need to move for my re-location of the tie rod ends of the spindle (steering arm). The gallery shows what I did with the VW spindles way back then... same thing will be done on the Pinto parts to correct Ackerman due to the widened front track, and shortend wheelbase. Which brings up my own special Ackerman treatment (racers and I are at odds on this topic). I tune the Ackerman for slightly less the perfect Ackerman because....

As you begin a turn where your tires are toed in initially, you transition a point where due to Ackerman, the tires become null-toe before they enter toe out towards the extent of their rotation. What this does to me (could be why I differ with racers) is I experience the feeling of a squirrely sensation that I insist is correctable by continuing to maintain a state of "virtual" toe in. It's not real toe in because the front tips of the tires are ever widening as you turn further, but my tune maintains the same loading on the tires as when they are pointed straight ahead. Totally gets rid of that crazy "tween" state so many guys feel, but can't put their finger on exactly what's causing it. To racers I say "okay, don't drive it". I think it stems from my dirt days and the extreme use of the steering in that nasty zone constantly correcting from the bumps and the silt steering the car somewhat. What I did was to increase toe, since the slip of the tires in the dirt was very tolerable straight, but it moves the quirkie, no-toe zone further out. I didn't have the means to redesign geometry in those days, but it worked well for me.... that, and I'm fearless. So when I develope my new steering arms, that will be included. If I don't get back to the pedals soon, then I might be addressing it right after the sway mount fix. Up front, I also need to notch a cross-car tube for the chunkie coupler on the steering column. Right now I can't really turn the wheel lock to lock. Just a minor bit needs chopped and reinforced... one of the list of reworks you see I deal with.

I looked the belt-end of the motor over for a dry sump pump. Right there in place of the AC compressor is where it belongs, but I think I want AC in the car... decisions have a way of working themselves out... I'm hoping for the answer that way :)

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pay $ 200 for the car 3 years ago, in great shape, no rust, the front needed a new bumper and hood it a pa car!! man it runs has not hit 100k yet fix the harness last year found the pre cats clogged whit the cones collapsing when i fix the alternator so i gutted it out the check engine light don't come on any more been on this site for a year and it time to put some power in this babe i have it just about planed out just need a little more money im James and hello to project sleeper

Not sure how long my mother-in-law is going to be around, with cancer and all. Its not getting better that's for sure. So we are packing up the van with the kids and all sort of other crap and driving straight through from Naples to a small town about 1 hour west of Minneapolis.

28 HOURS BABY! It can be done. No stops for sleep. I'm sure Ill do the bulk of the driving, its ok. I like driving.

So we will leave Friday after my wife gets back from work and get there late Saturday/early Sunday just in time to watch the Vikings trounce the Falcons. Well be there for a week and do the Christmas thing there.

It was -12 in Cokato today, and 75 here. Im going to die. I don't even own a single pair of jeans. I have slacks for work and lots of shorts. Now I have to go clothes shopping on top of Xmas shopping

Ill remember to take my pills, probably smoke a j, and maybe hit the bar for a few quick drinks before I attempt this dangerous shopping endeavor.

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I can't beleave that so many things are going wrong with my Contour! First of all, it is like having a child with a cold. It noise is running all the time all over my driveway. (stearing fluid) When it is cold, wet or too hot, when starting it, a loud grinding noise appears like it is screaming at me, taking a temper tamprum. I have bought a $120.00 part that no one seems to be able to install and everytime I bring it to my mechanic he shakes his head. WHAT DO I DO?

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Car won't start. Took to local garage and they couldn't figure out. Sent to Ford dealer, they say part needed is no longer made. Something to do with fuel pump and alarm. Car only has 15,000 miles. Any thoughts, anyone?

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Well the day has finally come when the old guy here is starting a blog. Let me just say that snowballs now have a chance in a very hot environment... LOL and now I have no time to wright more. Darn.....!

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here's the final foundation. it's got a monolithic curb with openings for the doors and a couple pics of the area that the city needs to come by and fill in out in the alley way. 2" pitch from north to south towards the alley way.

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HEY EVERYONE.. MY NAME IS THERESA.. IM A 25 YEAR OLD CHIC AND IM HAVIN SOME MAJOR ISSUES. I BOUGHT A 98 FORD CONTOUR SE 6CYLINDER 2.5L CAR FROM MY GRANDPA... I TOOK IT TO GET EMISSIONS DONE WHICH I HAVE NEVER OWNED A CAR NEW ENOUGH TO GET THAT DONE.. AND 7 DIFF. CODES CAME UP. I DONT KNOW WHAT THEY MEAN OR EVEN HOW TO FIX THEM. IF ANYONE HAS ANY IDEAS OR THOUGHTS PLEASEEEEEEEE HELP... THE CODES ARE

P0171

P0174

P0401

P0420

P1100

P1157

I DONT KNOW HOW TO GET MY CAR LEGAL WITHOUT EMISSIONS.. WHAT DO I DO? PLEASE AND THANK U

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well I found out that the bolts for the waste gate came loose again. But I am not sure that is where the leak is from. All I know is that if I look straight up at all the pipe from under the car the exhaust is coming straight down. So I think I will be pulling the turbo and wastegate again tomorrow to re-seal everything. Car sounds pretty good, the exhaust was to quiet before the leak.

anyway ....

Also so far eveything is fine with the waste gate. I check the bolts again yesterday before driving the car and they where still tight. So hopefully that is all set.

Since recently my optima redtop only seems to read 11.5 volts at the volt guage I ordered a new one. I don't know if killing it twice has anything to do with any of the low voltage that I see at time. But anyway I am going to pull the alternator and clean the contacts inside to see if that helps also.

Also the car seemed slower then it has been yesterday, but then again it was hotter also. Anyway its time to install the mbc also.

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Well just to update, I've been spending a few hours here and there on taking the mystique apart and i'm slowly making progress. The engine should be ready to be pulled in a week or so as long as there are no setbacks!

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I just wanted to say hi to all the fellow svt owners out there. I am relatively new to the svt world. I absolutely love the contour svt. I have learned alot of useful information by reading alot of everyones posts. There are alot of things I would like to do to my car. I have always owned muscle cars and never dreamed I would own a small car with the power that the contour svt possesses. Next to my wife and baby boy, my svt is my pride and joy. There are some things I would like to know though, for instance. Where would I get the three pod pilar, and how to do some small things to my car for more power that are affordable to a working stiff with a family. This site is probably the coolest I have been to for the simple fact of all the svt enthusiasts like myself. I hope every one has a wonderful day. And thanks for letting me be a part of your world.

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I started off owning a 1989 Ford Tempo, that turned out to be a piece of junk that literally died on me just over a year after I got it. I vowed them to never own a Ford again. I then bought a 1991 Nissan Sentra for 600 dollars with 158,000 miles on it. Talk about problems. I was always changing something on it, and that car was expensive. Fuel Pump, front Axels, Exhaust System, Ball Joints, Tie Rods, UGH! 192,000 miles on that car and 4 years later, I knew I needed a new car. My boyfriend's father is a Contour fanatic. His wife owns a mystique, he has a contour, and his son drives a mystique. Well, he knew I was in the market for a newer car, and Ebay brought to us, a 2000 ford Contour with 118,500 miles on it. A few aesthetic problems were all we seemed to see on the car when we bought it....but since then...the car's been going downhill very fast.

For starters: The transmission just recently started being jumpy. I can go to accelerate from a stop, and not move, but then suddenly jerk forward. My check engine light comes on, and my Camshaft position sensor is faulty, causing some serious idling problems. I get that fixed. I decide to get some of the basic tune up stuff done......turns out the spark plugs had NEVER been changed. They were corroded to no end. Then the car starts to overheat when I'm driving in the city, but not the highway. Turns out the fan that turns on when the engine gets hot stopped working. The trunk leaks in the car as well, and the guy lied to us about it. It was a little wet when he told us that they'd just cleaned it out. I also got my oil changed, and we figured out the oil pan is not the original one on the car and was not sealed properly.

It's just one thing after another. I'm so frustrated with this "new" car My goal was to get rid of some of these problems, and these problems have been worse in the last few week....than the ones I had with my Nissan.